best new premium golf balls – Syndication Server

PXG Xtreme Tour, Xtreme Tour X golf balls

PXG’s newest golf balls were also made to be more durable and provide a better feel.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/i8MRvpEBBUt7G_ED6YbU/1725471109131_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

Gear: PXG Xtreme Tour, Xtreme Tour X golf balls
Price: $49.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered golf balls. Both balls are available in white, Xtreme Tour also in yellow.

Who it’s for: Golfers who want a soft feel, low spin off the tee and high spin around the green (Xtreme Tour); Faster-swinging players who want a firmer feel, maximum ball speed and higher spin with irons.

What you should know: Both the Xtreme Tour and the Xtreme Tour X are designed to deliver maximum spin around the green, but PXG’s newest golf balls were also made to be more durable and provide a better feel.

The deep dive: Parsons Xtreme Golf released its first golf ball, the Xtreme, in February 2023. At a price of $39.99 per dozen, they were made for golfers who wanted loads of greenside spin with solid distance off the tee. Two years and thousands of test shots later, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based equipment maker has two new balls that it is touting as more durable, softer-feeling and still long off the tee.

The new Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X balls are both three-piece balls that have a large rubber, firm mantle layer and a soft urethane cover. However, the cover of the Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X balls is thinner than the cover on the original Xtreme because, counterintuitively, it boosts durability. Balls that have a soft, thick cover can have the cover material compress against the grooves of wedges very easily, which can be great for spin but lead to ripping and sheering.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop PXG golf balls” link=”https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-100287807-15629782?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pxg.com%2Fen-us%2Fgolf-gear%2Fgolf-balls%2F%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOooUmpztnUVD9ZluZYQKbWcGxQJdCJhhJhyKfIBh233o9FaHyYXf”]

PXG Extreme Tour X golf ball. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

According to PXG, the original Xtreme ball had a compression of 110, making it a very hard ball. By PXG’s measurement, the new Xtreme Tour is at 97, and the Xtreme Tour X is at 107, so both balls can still be thought of as firm, which is good for speed, but they are softer than PXG’s first ball.

Interestingly, the yellow version of the Xtreme Tour has a compression of 101, which puts it between the firmness levels of the white Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X. The difference in compression is due to the additive that gives the yellow version its color.

To test the Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X balls, PXG tested them using a robot at three different speeds using a driver and a 7-iron, then full-swing wedges shots and partial-swing wedge shots. In those tests, the Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X both created slightly more ball speed off the tee with lower spin rates. They also produced a slightly higher launch angle but a lower peak height.

PXG Extreme Tour golf ball. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The same relationship held with 7-iron shots as well, while on 60-yard pitch shots with a 56-degree wedge, the Xtreme Tour and Xtreme Tour X both produced nearly the same spin as the original Xtreme ball.

Compared to each other, the Xtreme Tour should feel softer than the Xtreme Tour X, fly slightly lower and spin marginally less. In PXG’s tests, the Xtreme Tour X created 0.5 mph more ball speed off the tee and about 2.5 yards more total distance, with nearly identical launch angles. The Xtreme Tour X also generated about 200 rpm more spin on wedge shots than the standard Xtreme Tour.

Titleist AVX golf balls (2024)

The new AVX provides more greenside spin without sacrificing its low spin and soft feel.

Gear: Titleist AVX golf balls (2024)
Price: $49.99 per dozen
Specs: Three-piece, urethane-covered golf balls. Available in White and Yellow.
Available: January 24

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/VldhFo0Bw5FJFJUVhvk0/1705477892606_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

Who It’s For: Golfers who want a softer feel, lower flight and less spin than a Pro V1 without sacrificing greenside spin.

The Skinny: The updated AVX has a new gradational core and a softer, thicker urethane cover to give it enhanced greenside spin, a lower flight and less spin with long irons.

The Deep Dive: With several premium golf balls in its portfolio, including the top-selling Pro V1 and Pro V1x (which do not change for 2024), Titleist designers and engineers were given very clear instructions when it came to developing an update to the AVX ball. The new alternative to the X and V ball needed to be longer from tee to green, but the bigger task was to make it feel softer while giving it more greenside spin.

To achieve those goals in the new 2024 AVX, Titleist started by making the gradational core – which is extremely soft in the center and gets progressively firmer toward the perimeter – slightly smaller. The 2022 AVX also had a gradational core, but the firmness change in the 2024 ball is more substantial, making it more like a multi-core construction in a single-core ball.

Titleist AVX 2024 — The Titleist AVX ball for 2024. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

A firm casing layer (which is the dark ring around the purple core in the photo above) covers the core. That firm material over the soft core is the key to effective energy transfer on wood and long-iron shots. The casing layer also helps to reduce spin when the ball is hit with a less-lofted, more-vertically-faced club like a driver, fairway wood or long iron. The result is more distance with lower spin off the tee and from the fairway with long clubs.

However, on short-iron shots and wedge shots, when the clubhead speed is lower and the impact is made with a more lofted club, the updated AVX’s softer urethane and thicker cover, which is on top of the firm casing layer, can easily be grabbed by the grooves to generate spin. The softer, thicker urethane cover also helps to make the AVX feel softer at impact, even though the ball’s overall compression (80) has not changed.

Knowing that Titleist wanted to keep the AVX’s playing relationship with its other balls about the same, designers knew they needed to give the 2024 AVX a low-spin dimple pattern, but they wanted it to be better than the pattern on the 2022 ball. Ultimately, they chose a quadrilateral dipyramid catenary design (say that five times fast!) that had previously been used in the two-piece, distance-oriented Tour Soft balls. On the 2024 AVX, the cover pattern makes it more stable in the wind.

So where does AVX fit into the Titleist golf ball stable?

AVX spins less off the tee than Pro V1 and Pro V1x
AVX should have a lower launch angle than Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
AVX will feel softer at impact than Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
While the new AVX should generate more greenside spin than its predecessor, the Pro V1 and Pro V1x will spin more around the green and with short irons.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1364]

Callaway Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X, Chrome Soft balls (2024)

Callaway’s Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X and Chrome Soft offer tour-level spin around the greens and maximum distance off the tee.

Gear: Callaway Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X, Chrome Soft balls (2024)
Price: $54.99 per dozen
Specs: Four-piece, urethane-covered balls (Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X); three-piece, urethane-covered ball (Chrome Soft)
Available: Feb. 2

Who They’re For: Golfers who want tour-level spin around the greens and maximum distance off the tee.

The Skinny: Callaway has updated the core formulation, mantle layers, cover material and aerodynamics of its premium balls. Combined with a broad range of compressions and softness, they provide several options for golfers who want distance off the tee and spin around the greens.

The Deep Dive: For years Callaway, more than any other brand, has associated itself with premium golf balls that feel soft when you hit them. Names such as Chrome Soft, Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft X LS set expectations in every player’s mind, but in some cases those names didn’t precisely match how the balls performed. For example, the Chrome Soft X LS had a compression in the low 90s, giving it a firm feeling, and labeling it as a low-spin ball may have confused some players into thinking it did not create ample greenside spin. With a thin urethane cover and firm outer-mantle layer, it created enough spin to be Xander Schauffele’s ball of choice in 2022.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway golf balls” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/anzyjb”]

In 2023, Schauffele used a prototype version of the Chrome Tour, one of three updated offerings for 2024. Eric Van Rooyan also won the World Wide Technology Championship in November using the prototype ball.

Here is everything you need to know about the new Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X and Chrome Soft balls.